Fennec Pharmaceuticals Announces European Commission Marketing Authorization for Pedmarqsi (sodium thiosulfate) to Reduce the Risk of Hearing Loss in Pediatric Oncology Patients

Pedmarqsi is the First and Only Approved Therapy in the European Union for Reducing the Risk of Cisplatin-induced Hearing Loss (Ototoxicity) in Pediatric Patients with Localized, Non-metastatic Solid Tumors

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., June 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fennec Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: FENC; TSX: FRX), a commercial stage specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced Pedmarqsi– known as PEDMARK in the U.S. – was granted marketing authorization by the European Commission. Pedmarqsi is the first and only approved therapy in the EU for the prevention of ototoxicity (hearing loss) induced by cisplatin chemotherapy in patients 1 month to <18 years of age with localised, non-metastatic, solid tumors. Further, Pedmarqsi was granted the marketing authorization under the paediatric-use marketing authorization (PUMA) which includes 8 years plus 2 years of data and market protection.

“Today's approval by the European Commission for Pedmarqsi to help reduce the risk of hearing loss is critical for the approximately four thousand children treated with cisplatin for solid tumors that have not spread,” said Rosty Raykov, chief executive officer of Fennec Pharmaceuticals. “Fennec is proud to bring this safe and effective therapy to the marketplace to mitigate the risk of permanent and irreversible bilateral hearing loss which occurs in approximately 60 percent of children treated with cisplatin and can be as high as 90 percent.¹ We look forward to making this important treatment available to the pediatric oncology community in the EU as soon as possible.”

The European Commission granted marketing authorization approval to Pedmarqsi following the adoption of a positive opinion by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) earlier this year. The CHMP’s decision was based on safety and efficacy data from two pivotal open-label, randomized Phase 3 trials (SIOPEL 6 and Clinical Oncology Group [COG] Protocol ACCL0431), which compared Pedmarqsi plus cisplatin-based regimen to cisplatin-based regimens alone for the reduction of cisplatin-induced hearing loss in pediatric patients.

The marketing authorization is applicable to all 27 European Union member states, as well as Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. PEDMARK was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2022.

About Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity
Cisplatin and other platinum compounds are essential chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of many pediatric malignancies. Unfortunately, platinum-based therapies can cause ototoxicity, or hearing loss, which is permanent, irreversible, and particularly harmful to the survivors of pediatric cancer.²